Take Back Supported Legislation Moving Forward in California

AUBURN, AL- California, ranked one of the top 10 states in lobbying growth in our recent study, is on the verge of substantive reform.

AB.1089, endorsed by Take Back Our Republic, won bipartisan support in committee to advance forward.

The bill sets a campaign finance limit for localities across California. 78% percent of those localities have no campaign finance limits in place.

This changes that.

Adoption of AB.1089 closes the door for rampant corruption. Right now, local candidates can receive major contributions from contractors and individuals. These unregulated contributions pave the way for gross influence at the local level.

We are proud to support this bill which also empowers localities to set their own limits should they choose to do so. While there is room for abuse there, this at least allows citizens to hold politicians accountable. If office holders seek to remove the limits, their community’s residents will know and could push back.

Our friends at California Common Cause, who spearheaded this effort and reached out to us for our involvement, are thrilled to see the success of this bill.

“It’s great to see bipartisan support for this commonsense reform,” said Gavin Baker, the Open Government Program Manager for the organization. “After shocking examples of wealthy interests giving tens of thousands of dollars seeking special treatment, it’s clear the time has come to end unlimited campaign contributions in California’s local elections.”

Take Back Our Republic Executive Director John Pudner shared his enthusiasm.

“This bill returns influence to the people,” said Pudner. “It also forces elected officials who hope to circumvent this legislation to take the politically unpopular vote to raise limits. Such votes will be a loud and clear signal to their constituents that they can be bought, and they will almost certainly be punished at the ballot box for taking such a vote.”

While the doors have been wide open in California for corruption, this is a strong step toward shutting those doors.